"It is not certain that Hardik Pandya has sealed his spot" - Reetinder Sodhi on India's T20 World Cup squad
Reetinder Singh Sodhi believes Hardik Pandya is not an automatic pick in the India squad for T20 World Cup 2021.
The T20 World Cup 2021 will be played from October 17 in the UAE and Oman. The Indian selectors are likely to choose the squad for the mega event on Wednesday.
During a discussion on India News, Reetinder Sodhi opined that Hardik Pandya might not be a certain pick in India's squad. He reasoned:
"I will stick my neck out, it is not certain that Hardik Pandya has sealed his spot. Hardik Pandya is a great potential and is called an all-rounder, but if you talk about the recent Sri Lanka series, he did not set the stage on fire."
Hardik Pandya scored just 19 runs in the two innings he played in the ODI series against Sri Lanka. He picked up only two wickets in the three matches and was taken for an average of 6.92 runs per over.
Even in the solitary T20I he played on the tour, Hardik Pandya scored 10 runs at a strike rate of 83.33 and conceded 17 runs in the two overs he bowled.
"Shardul Thakur might be seen slightly ahead of Hardik Pandya" - Reetinder Sodhi
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Sodhi believes that Shardul Thakur has the edge over Hardik Pandya at the moment. He explained:
"My opinion is that if you compare Hardik Pandya and Shardul Thakur at this point in time, Shardul Thakur might be seen slightly ahead. I agree Shardul Thakur has done very well in Test cricket but he has the signs of showing exceptional play in T20s as well."
The former India all-rounder added that Thakur can be extremely useful for the Virat Kohli-led side. Sodhi elaborated:
"The emergence of Shardul Thakur, he has come into consideration suddenly and people have started talking about him all of a sudden. He can be an asset, a player who has the ability to win the match both with bowling and batting."
Sodhi signed off by reiterating that Thakur could be a viable alternative for Hardik Pandya. He said:
"So if you have an option, there is Shardul Thakur, you can take him as well. Competition is very tight, we will have to see who the selectors pick."
Shardul Thakur has certainly staked his claim for a spot in India's T20 World Cup squad with his excellent performances in England. While Hardik Pandya is almost a sure-shot pick, Thakur is likely to be in the selectors' thoughts as he can provide much-needed depth in batting.